Review by thenovelmaura - Water Moon

thenovelmaura 's review for:

Water Moon by Samantha Sotto Yambao

4.5

adventurous emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

Sotto Yambao has the most vivid imagination and we are blessed that she chose to share it with us! This is one of those books that feels like watching a beautiful movie; I fully agree with all of the Studio Ghibli comparisons. Every scene would unfold to reveal a new wonder — besides the pawnshop of regrets featured in the book description, there is a museum dedicated to human choices, an entire town of people waiting for "their train" to arrive, and so much more. Beyond the fantastical setting, there was the mystery of Hana's father's disappearance as well as philosophical concerns about fate in a world where each character's life path is literally mapped onto their skin. I was swept up in the twists and turns of the plot and anxious to see how some of these larger societal issues would be resolved.

I'm being a bit picky in deducting 0.5 stars for the romance (I felt that the overall plot would have worked just as well if Hana and Keishin were just friends). It's tough for me to overlook the fact that instalove was so prominently featured in this book, although I eventually started to appreciate these two as a couple. Setting that aside, I highly recommend this atmospheric novel about memories and the power of choice. I was so thrilled to discover that the inside of this book was as gorgeous and engaging as its cover!

Content Warnings